The New Jersey 5s Win the Regular Season Title in MLP’s Most Exciting Weekend Ever
If you follow Major League Pickleball at all, you already know that MLP Orlando was something special. But even by MLP standards, this past weekend at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports felt different — higher stakes, tighter matches, louder crowds, and more drama packed into a single weekend than most sports deliver in a full month. The New Jersey 5s came out on top, clinching the #1 overall seed in the upcoming playoffs with a hard-fought Super Sunday win over the St. Louis Shock, broadcast live on FS1.
This was also the first time the Orlando Squeeze hosted an MLP event at the State Farm Fieldhouse inside the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, and the venue delivered in every possible way. Twelve teams descended on Orlando, and what made it truly extraordinary was that heading into the weekend, every single team still had a mathematical path to the playoffs. That kind of wide-open chaos is exactly what makes MLP pickleball so compelling right now.
What Is MLP and Why Does the #1 Seed Matter So Much?
If you’re newer to professional pickleball, here’s a quick breakdown of how Major League Pickleball works and why the events like MLP Orlando are such a big deal. Major League Pickleball is the premier team-based professional pickleball league in the United States. Teams are made up of four players — two men and two women — who compete in men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles matches. Each match is worth points toward the overall standings, and teams battle across multiple events throughout the season to earn a spot in the playoffs.
The regular season culminates in a playoff bracket, and where you finish in the standings determines your seeding. The #1 overall seed is the most coveted position in the league because it comes with a first-round bye (meaning you skip the first round of the playoffs entirely), the ability to choose your opponents in both the quarterfinals and semifinals, and home court advantage in the first two matches of each playoff series. In other words, the #1 seed gives you a massive structural advantage going into the postseason. That’s exactly why the Super Sunday showdown between the New Jersey 5s and the St. Louis Shock was so intense — both teams had already locked up a first-round bye, but only one could walk away with the top spot.
New Jersey 5s vs. St. Louis Shock: Super Sunday Breakdown
Both the 5s and the Shock came into Super Sunday having gone 5-0 in pool play, setting up an all-or-nothing final for the regular season’s top seed. The last time these two teams met, at the Mid-Season Tournament finals, the Shock swept the 5s 3-0. That included a dominant 11-6 win by Kate Fahey and Anna Bright over Jorja Johnson and Anna Leigh Waters — the only loss for that women’s doubles pairing all season long. So there was plenty of motivation on the New Jersey side to come out swinging.
And come out swinging they did. Jorja Johnson and Anna Leigh Waters looked like a completely different team from that Mid-Season loss, opening the match with an emphatic 11-5 win over Kate Fahey and Anna Bright in women’s doubles. It was a statement performance — exactly the kind of response you want to see from elite competitors after a tough loss.
Men’s doubles went the other way. Federico Staksrud and Will Howells couldn’t crack the code on Hayden Patriquin and Gabe Tardio, losing 5-11. Gabe and Hayden ended the regular season at an astonishing 28-4, making them by far the most dominant men’s doubles pairing of the entire year. That’s not a close call — that record is historic for a single MLP season.
The match of the weekend — arguably the match of the MLP season — was the mixed doubles #1 game. Anna Leigh Waters and Noe Khlif faced off against Anna Bright and Hayden Patriquin in a 15-13 thriller that felt like it lasted forever in the best possible way. Hayden was celebrating points with full-on dancing, the crowd was absolutely electric, and every rally felt like it had playoff implications — because it did. Waters and Khlif held on to win, putting the 5s up 2-1 heading into the final match.
With the series on the line, New Jersey sent out Federico Staksrud and Jorja Johnson against Kate Fahey and Gabe Tardio. The Shock’s mixed pairing looked off, and Fed and Jorja were dominant from the start, winning 11-2 to clinch the match and secure the #1 overall seed. It was a complete team performance when it mattered most, and the 5s will carry significant momentum — and a major structural advantage — into the Dallas playoffs.
One notable development coming out of MLP Orlando is the integration of Federico Staksrud into the New Jersey lineup. The team recently acquired him, and he was immediately thrown into both men’s doubles and mixed doubles. There was some lineup experimentation early on, but based on how the weekend played out, it looks like the 5s have found their formula: Staksrud and Howells in men’s doubles, and Staksrud with Jorja Johnson in mixed. If that pairing holds up in the playoffs, New Jersey will be an incredibly difficult team to beat.
Chicago Slice and Elsie Hendershot’s Emotional Run to the Playoffs
If the New Jersey vs. St. Louis storyline was the headliner, the Chicago Slice’s desperate fight to make the playoffs was the emotional heart of MLP Orlando. Heading into the weekend, the Slice sat at 27 standings points and needed to win — and win convincingly — just to have a shot at the postseason. Their margin for error was essentially zero.
Their first near-miss came against the Palm Beach Royals, where Chicago pushed them all the way to a Dreambreaker. The Slice were up 18-10 at one point in the Dreambreaker and seemingly had the match in hand. Then it slipped away. The Royals came all the way back to win 22-20, leaving Chicago on the outside still looking in. Losing a Dreambreaker from up 18-10 is the kind of gut punch that can break a team’s spirit. The Slice didn’t have time for that.
The pivotal match of the weekend for Chicago came on Saturday against the California Black Bears — a match so significant that MLP moved it to Championship Court because it was effectively a winner-advances-to-the-playoffs situation. The Black Bears came out with all the energy, winning both gender doubles matches 11-6 and 11-8 to build a commanding lead heading into mixed. The Slice clawed back, winning both mixed matches 11-4 and 11-7 to force yet another Dreambreaker.
In the Dreambreaker, the Black Bears reached match point not once, not twice, but three times. Three times, the Slice players dug in and refused to let the season end. Then, at 23-22, Elsie Hendershot earned the sideout and scored the next two points to seal the win for Chicago. The crowd erupted. Hendershot came off the court with tears in her eyes and was met with some of the loudest cheering the arena had seen all weekend. It was a genuine sports moment — the kind that reminds you why you watch.
But the job wasn’t finished. Pickleball analysts quickly figured out that if Chicago lost to Miami on Sunday and earned exactly four points, a tiebreaker scenario with the Black Bears would play out — and in that tiebreaker, the Black Bears held the edge in match win percentage. So the Slice still needed to win on Sunday, or at minimum avoid losing in a way that let California back in.
Against Miami, Chicago flipped the script from the day before, winning both gender doubles matches to take an early lead. Then they lost both mixed doubles games, forcing — incredibly — another Dreambreaker. John Lucian Goins led the charge this time, and the Slice won 21-15 to officially punch their ticket to the Dallas playoffs. After everything they went through across two days, the relief on the players’ faces said everything.
Las Vegas Night Owls Sneak Into the Playoffs
The Las Vegas Night Owls entered MLP Orlando in a tough spot. A disappointing MLP Chicago had left them with just 26 points — four behind the Black Bears for the final playoff position. They needed a strong weekend and a little help to make it work.
They delivered the strong weekend. Vegas opened with a 21-17 Dreambreaker win over the Phoenix Flames, then swept the Orlando Squeeze 4-0, and grinded through a tough match against a depleted Brooklyn Pickleball Team that also went to a Dreambreaker. Gabe and Roscoe combining for a 12-9 performance against Haworth and Alshon in that Dreambreaker was the difference. Las Vegas lost their next two pool play matches against Miami and St. Louis, going 1-3 in each. But finishing third in their pool was enough to get them into the Super Sunday #3 v #3 matchup.
Even though they lost to the Palm Beach Royals in that Super Sunday match, the Night Owls accumulated eight standings points across the Orlando event. That was enough to leapfrog both the Black Bears and the Chicago Slice in the final standings, landing them in the playoffs as the #11 seed. It wasn’t pretty, but they got there.
The New Court Sub-Surface Was a Big Deal for Players
This storyline didn’t make the highlight reels, but it matters more than casual fans might realize. MLP events are often held in multi-purpose venues that require roll-out courts rather than permanent hardcourt surfaces. Roll-out courts have been a consistent point of frustration among players this season, with dead spots, inconsistent bounces, and surface irregularities caused by power boxes and other under-surface obstructions creating real problems for high-level play.
At MLP Orlando, Championship Court featured a new court sub-surface platform designed specifically for roll-out courts. Every player who was asked about it came back with positive feedback. The bounce isn’t quite as high as a permanent court, but the consistency was there — players described it as the truest bounce they’d experienced on a roll-out surface all season. That’s a meaningful step forward for the quality of play at MLP events, and the expectation is that MLP will invest in a second unit of this sub-surface so both courts at future events can offer the same consistent playing experience.
For those unfamiliar with why this matters: in a sport where reactions happen in fractions of a second and ball placement precision is everything, an unpredictable bounce can completely undermine a player’s ability to execute at their highest level. Getting the court surface right isn’t just a comfort issue — it’s a competitive integrity issue. And it looks like MLP is taking it seriously.
Looking Ahead to the Dallas Playoffs
With the regular season officially wrapped up, the pickleball world turns its attention to Dallas, where the MLP playoff bracket will determine this season’s champion. The New Jersey 5s will enter as the #1 seed with all the advantages that come with it — the bye, the opponent selection, and the home court edge. The St. Louis Shock, Chicago Slice, Las Vegas Night Owls, and the rest of the qualified teams will all be fighting for the title.
Based on what we saw in Orlando, a few things stand out heading into the postseason. Anna Leigh Waters remains the most impactful player in the league — her ability to show up in the biggest moments, whether in women’s doubles or mixed, is unmatched. Federico Staksrud’s addition to New Jersey has made them deeper and more dangerous. And the Gabe Tardio and Hayden Patriquin men’s doubles pairing, finishing 28-4 on the season, is going to be a nightmare matchup for every team they face in Dallas.
For anyone who hasn’t been following MLP closely this season, MLP Orlando was the kind of weekend that makes you regret not paying attention sooner. The Dink Pickleball has been tracking every match and storyline throughout the season, and the playoff coverage is going to be just as in-depth. Playoff matchups are expected to be announced Monday, with full first-round analysis and previews coming shortly after. If this regular season is any indication of what’s coming in Dallas, pickleball fans are in for something truly special.
